A nutty surprise!

I was looking for inspiration the other night, and I wasn’t getting any ideas. Also I wanted to use what I already had in my kitchen. So I looked around the pantry and refrigerator. I noticed I had a bag of roasted and salted cashews from Trader Joe’s. I also had jalapeno in the vegetable drawer. I still wasn’t get struck by anything, so I decided to look around online. I found a recipe that called for cashews but I didn’t quite like the recipe itself. So I wrote down a few ingredients and added the rest.

The result? An amazing sauce that complimented the fresh sugar snap peas and broccoli over a bed of brown rice, highlighted by a side of cut up avocado. A definite keeper, both my boyfriend and I agreed. It’s well worth the effort, I tell you! It might seem like much, but the truth? It was quick and easy to make. A little buck for a huge bang? Oh yes. That’s my kind of cooking!

Cashew Sauce

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 TBSP olive oil

1 heaping cup of roasted, salted cashews (I used Trader Joe’s, they use rice bran oil which gives it a unique sweetness!)

1 jalapeno, chopped (PLEASE use fresh, since otherwise you will miss out on the flavor)

1.) Sautee onion, garlic, salt, and pepper in the oil in a sauce pan (you’ll need a good-sized one since the sauce will end up in this), until the onions are golden.

2.) Puree the mixture in a blender with cashews, jalapeno, and 2 cups of vegetable broth.

3.) Return to saucepan, and the rest of broth, stir in coconut flour with a whisk to ensure that it is evenly distributed. You want it to be creamy, without any clumps of flour in your mouth!

4.) Pour sauce over whatever you feel that this will be a great addition to. My recommendations? Fresh green vegetables such as broccoli and sugar snap peas over brown rice! It’s great over burritos as well. Be creative! Garnish with whole cashews for an elegant presentation.

Cashew sauce served over brown rice and fresh green vegetables

This was a great surprise, having it taste as delicious as it did. I wasn’t quite sure of what to expect, but I do know one thing; I definitely will make it again!

Know what else is great about this? It’s a vegan sauce that is also gluten-free, corn-free and soy-free! And it’s great as leftovers, so you can keep on adding it to whatever dish you want to enhance, until you run out.